March 3
1800s *1860 - John Montgomery (Monte) Ward is born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. During his illustrious career in the majors, Ward will hit a .371 batting average twice, will win 40-plus games as a pitcher twice, including the second perfect game in baseball history, and will be the captain and manager of the first and original New York Giants. Ward will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1964. *1872 - Willie Keeler is born in Brooklyn, New York. A remarkable hitter, Keeler will hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, hit over .400 once, and will finish with a .341 batting average over his career, currently 14th in all time list. Keeler will be selected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 with 75.55% of the vote. *1889 - Pitcher Bobby Mathews goes to court to try and collect $600 that he claims is owed to him by the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) for his services as a coach in 1888. If Matthews collects, it will make him the first paid coach in major league history. 1900s 1910s-1940s *1916 - Jack Dunn, owner of the International League Baltimore Orioles, buys the park built by the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League. *1932 - In Century, Florida, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ed Morris, at age 32, dies of knife wounds inflicted in a fight at a party given in his honor two days ago in Brewton, Alabama. Boston owner Bob Quinn is reported to have had a New York Yankees offer of almost $100,000 for the pitcher. *1940 - The Boston Bees sell outfielder Debs Garms to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Garms will get only 358 at bats for Pittsburgh but, nevertheless, will lead the National League in hitting with a .355 average. Unlike the American League 400 at bats required to opt for the batting title, the NL rules state that a player must appear in at least a hundred games: Garms will play in 103. Ford Frick, NL president, will clarify this in September when it is clear that Garms will not reach the 400 at bats. Pirates teammate Virgil Davis will be the nominal runnerup at .326, but play just 99 games. Garms will drop to .264 in 1941 and he will be out of baseball a year later. *1946 - The St. Louis Browns sign veteran Joe Medwick, who has been released by the Boston Braves. St. Louis will release Medwick before the season starts and he will sign up with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 1950s-1960s *1953 - The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, block the St. Louis Browns attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. Lou Perini, Braves owner, invokes his territorial privilege, stating he has not been offered enough for the rights. *1956: **In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan's West Side. The estimated cost of $75M for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham's decision to move to San Francisco. **The New York Giants and Cleveland Indians cancel an exhibition game in Meridian, Mississippi, because of mass racial violence in neighboring Alabama. *1959 - The Cleveland Indians send OF Larry Doby to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for OF Tito Francona. Francona will hit .363 for the Indians, while Doby will be released after playing just 16 games for Detroit. *1967 - The Chicago White Sox are given permission to use a partial designated hitter in training camp. With home club permission, each club will be allowed to use a designated pinch hitter twice in the same game. 1970s 1980s *1983 - Steve Carlton agrees to a four-year, $4.15 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. *1984 - Peter Ueberroth, the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games, is elected to a five-year term as Commissioner of Baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1, succeeding Bowie Kuhn. *1987: **Ray Dandridge, a legendary third baseman from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. **Entertainer Danny Kaye, part owner of the Seattle Mariners, dies of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, at age 74 . *1988 - Los Angeles Dodgers star Kirk Gibson walks out of training camp after teammate Jesse Orosco plays a practical joke by placing “eyeblack” in his cap. The incident illustrates Gibson’s intensity and no-nonsense approach to the game. Gibson, who returns to camp the next day, will help the Dodgers win the World Series in 1988. 1990s *1997 - The New York Yankees offer the San Diego Padres a choice of one from a list of players or the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Hideki Irabu. The list includes Brian Boehringer, David Weathers, Chris Cumberland, Andy Fox and Matt Luke. The Yankees also offer one player from a list of five minor leaguers, plus $3 million. The Padres are talking to several other teams beside the Yankees. *1998: **Larry Doby, the first black to play in the American League, is elected to the Hall of Fame along with former A.L. President Lee MacPhail. Also chosen by the Veterans Committee are Negro League pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan and turn-of-the-century shortstop Gorgeous George Davis. **Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Brickhouse undergoes surgery to remove a tumor from the lining of his brain. *1999 - Houston Astros outfielder Moisés Alou undergoes surgery to repair ligaments in his left knee. He will be out for 5–6 months. Alou was injured when he fell while trying to adjust the speed of his treadmill while in the Dominican Republic. 2000s *2001 - Rusty Greer signs a $21.8 million, three-year contract extension with the Texas Rangers. A .307 career hitting outfielder, Greer could make as much $36 million with incentives and options. Greer would only play in anoth 113 games before retiring due to injury in 2002. *2006 - In the first-ever World Baseball Classic game, Jae-Weong Seo pitched two-hit ball and Chan Ho Park worked three effective innings for a save to lead South Korea past Taiwan 2–0. The 16-nation tournament started at 11:30 a.m. local time and was played before a sparse crowd of 5,193 at Tokyo Dome. In the second game, playing before a crowd of 15,869, Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Kosuke Fukudome hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to lead Japan to an 18–2 rout of China. Births *1860 - Monte Ward, Hall of Fame infielder/pitcher (d. 1925) *1872 - Willie Keeler, Hall of Fame outfielder (d. 1923) *1943 - Paul Schaal, infielder *1957 - Skeeter Barnes, infielder *1960 - Chuck Cary, pitcher *1960 - Neal Heaton, All-Star pitcher *1968 - Scott Radinsky, pitcher *1968 - Bobby Muñoz, pitcher *1976 - Matt Treanor, catcher *1979 - Jorge Julio, pitcher Deaths *1894 - Ned Williamson, infielder (b. 1857) *1932 - Ed Morris, pitcher (b. 1899) *1946 - Hick Cady, catcher (b. 1886) *1953 - Clyde Milan, outfielder (b. 1887) *1980 - Gerry Priddy, infielder (b. 1919) *1983 - Jennings Poindexter, pitcher (b. 1910) *1987 - Danny Kaye, executive (b. 1913) *1997 - Billy Jurges, All-Star infielder (b. 1908)